Forum Challenge Book
by Tranquil Rain
Summary: A collection of challenges for the wonderful forums I've joined. Enjoy!
1. Redemption (FernClan: Listen to Me)

**This is a quick one-shot I made for FernClan, which is a great forum I'm a part of.**

 **Here you go, guys!**

* * *

 **Redemption**

Reedkit laughed and launched herself at her friends again.

Barkkit had suggested earlier that they play "Clans", and she was the leader of ShadowClan.

The white-and-gray kit batted Minnowkit's ears playfully. "ShadowClan will be victorious," she yowled mightily. Right then, flash of movement caught her eye and she jumped away as Stormkit ran towards her.

"Not if I having anything to say about it; WindClan and RiverClan are going to win this battle!" He tripped, stumbling and barging into Minnowkit.

Minnowkit purred and helped him steady himself. "Not if you keep tripping over your paws!" Reedkit laughed as Stormkit's face reddened, but her thoughts were troubled.

 _I know that Hailfoot said that he wanted to talk to Barkkit, and that we sort of left him, but Barkkit should have been here by now. It's past sunhigh for StarClan's sake!_ Her fears guided her, pulling her away from her friends. "I'll catch up with you guys later; I'm going to go find Barkkit," she told them with a twinge of worry in her voice.

When the pair nodded, she turned and left in the direction of the warriors den. About a fox-length from the den, a pair of deep green eyes flashed at her from a stray shadow. _  
_

The cat stepped out and padded towarrds Reedkit, his dark gray fur matted and patchy. "I need your help."

Reedkit backed away in fear. "With what,"she meowed shakily. The tom beckoned for her to follow and, with her thoughts about Barkkit being replaced by newfound curiousity, she did.

She was led through the reeds that surrounded the RiverClan camp into the forest beyond. "You never answered my question," she meowed hotly when they stopped.

The tom dipped his head in apology, "Forgive me, Reedkit. I need your help getting to StarClan."

Reedkit stared at him in disbelief, "What do you mea—" Her eyes widened. "You're a Dark Forest cat!" The fur along her spine bristled instinctively and she hissed at him, "Why should I believe you?! What reason do I have to help you?"

He smiled,"Because, Reedkit, I'm your father's brother."

 _Herontail!_

Reedkit watched as he turned away and started to leave. "If you do not wish want to help me, that's fine, but soon I will fade from memory. There will be nothing left of me."

Reedkit dashed up to him, "Herontail, wait. What happened to you? Why are you part of the Dark Forest? Troutfoot said that you were a good cat!"

Herontail growled,"I am; I was framed for murder and exiled! Your _righteous_ leader, Pebblestar, thought that I caused two kits to drown in the river... I tried to save them!" His voice grew more angered as he spoke. "She never gave me the chance to explain myself. That is why I'm asking you for help, Reedkit. I need the word of a cat in my family who still sees some shred of good in me to get to StarClan."

This rush of information dazed Reedkit, and she hopelessly fumbled for words. What was she to do? How in StarClan's name could she help him? She stared at Herontail blankly for several heartbeats before her mind cleared. "Please, Reedkit, I need you," Herontail mewed, his eyes pleading.

Reedkit nuzzled him and looked into his eyes. "No cat is defined solely by their past," she meowed with an air of wisdom about her. "I believe you, Herontail... I never once heard my parents say anything bad about you, and I don't think what happened to you was right." Heronflight purred, licking Reedkit between the ears.

The gray tom stood and padded closer to the river. He looked back at her as he began to fade away. His voice drifted to Reedkit's ears like a soft breeze as she ran to find her friends.

"Thank you."


	2. FernClan Challenge: Drabble (100 words)

"Why can't you stay with me, Coalear?" Rockshadow asked her. "Why did you have to go?" His heart wrenched painfully as he looked into her eyes. Coalear purred and rested her tail on her mate's shoulder sympathetically.

"It was my time to join StarClan," she meowed. "I've seen the way Fawnstep looks at you. You would make her so happy."

Rockshadow grimaced. How could he be with anyone else; how could he be happy after Coalear's death?

Coalear noticed. "Go. Live your life and be happy."

He would never forget the loving look in her eyes as she faded away.


	3. FernClan: Warriors Fables (Rapunzel)

**This is a one-shot challenge for FernClan. Enjoy!**

 ***Note* May or may not be poorly written because this is not my usual writing style and I've been really busy.  
**

* * *

 **Warriors Fables: Rapunzel**

 **Based (loosely) off of the Disney version of the story seeing as I do not reliably know the original.**

* * *

"What are you doing here in the Dark Forest, traveler?... Never mind. Seeing as you aren't going to leave me alone, I may as well tell you a story. Oh, you don't want to hear it? Too bad! I'm telling it anyway. Before you ask, no, this is not one of those "happy-ending" stories you were told in the nursery."

"My name is Ashfeather, and this is the story of how I lost my daughter, of how she was stolen from me!"

* * *

My daughter, Lightpaw—or was it, Lighteye now? I forget—had been pacing restlessly across the stony floor of the cave for some time one day. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth for so long that it soon became an aggravation. " _Stop pacing,_ " I had meowed quite bluntly, rising from where I had sat against a wall of the cave which we called our home and moving slowly towards her. " _Why can't you just sit still and act your age?_ " In all honesty, I knew that this would happen and already could tell you her answer.

' _I want to go see the lights in the sky, mother,_ ' she would always say. Of course, soon enough, she said just that. " _No, Lightp-_ "

She flicked her tail dismissively, " _Mother, it's almost Lighteye now._ "

I purred, " _Silly me._ " I bared my teeth not long after, remembering suddenly what she wanted. " _You are_ not _going to see the lights in the sky. That is final!_ " Without another word I moved deeper into the shadows of the cave to a small yet comfortable nest. I could hear Lightpaw's hurried paw steps trailing me.

" _Mother,_ " she meowed with irritation in her voice. " _I have a name just like yours now. I'm not a kit; I'm not going to be a 'paw for much longer; so why won't you let me go and see them?"_

I turned to her with narrowed eyes. " _Because I am_ your _mother. I have told you hundreds of times that those "lights" of yours are just your imagination. They. Are. Not. Real. All they are is stray light from the moon, Lightpaw, nothing more. Now, please stop bothering me with your daydreaming._ " Then I waited for her inevitable response.

"I know they're real! Every night on the day you've changed my name was when they've shined their brightest. I believe that means something. I _have_ to see them!"

I turned on her, hissing. " _We are not going to go through this again!_ " I watched her leave, a tumbling storm of anger and sadness. I know it irritated her, but I was only doing it to protect her. She was all I had...

A new dawn had arrived, and the forest came alive with the familiar sounds of birdsong the next morning. Unfortunately, this meant another day of listening to my daughter speak incessantly of those accursed lights. They were what had stolen her from me. You thought different? Thought it was a handsome young tom that had stolen my Lighteye away?

You'd be wrong. It occurred to me not long after the first appearance of this conversation that she mostly likely would continue to ask about. I had even tried to stop her at one point, telling her of all the dangerous and life-threatening horrors that would await her beyond the sanctuary of the cave...

Then, one day, she did not heed my calls.

I made my way hastily through a path which she would have had no knowledge of, and stormed into the wide depths of our home. " _Lighteye! Lighteye, where are you?!"_ Bounding back down the path and out of the glade surrounding the cave, I raced off in the direction I believed her to have gone, seeing for but a moment my daughter's golden pelt in the light of the sun and the darker fur of a cat who was walking beside her. I lost them among the trees not long after.

Eventually, I came upon a small collection of dens. It was pathetic, I tell you, absolutely pathetic. Yet, I had the sense that I would find her within. Would you believe that I had turned away and left? I assure you there was a purpose to this. In this time, I had recruited several of the nobler wandering cats to assist me, informing them that there was a thief loose in the area that it would do them good to apprehend. _  
_

I took them back with me to the dens, but found nothing of my daughter. Minutes later, I had worked out of them her direction and set off after apologizing to my companions and saying farewell. During my travels I had run across two brutish cats who had stopped me. _"_ What are you doing out here?" they had asked.

 _"I have something to say that might interest you,"_ I said, describing to them the slight glimpse of the cat I had seen. Unsurprisingly, they agreed on the condition of reward, and so I caught them a large rabbit.

When the matter was settled, we set off...

Soon, we had entered a sandy beach, moving like shadows across the gloomy shoreline. I turned to my companions, " _Find the cat I described to you and make sure that he appears to be leaving, no questions."_ The pair nodded and set off in search of the cat, which allowed me to search for my daughter.

But you see, that wasn't what I was going to do; not in the slightest. The two rogues who I had recruited would find both of them, my daughter _and_ her kidnapper. When they had done so, they would leave, and I would arrive in their place. It was brilliant...

They had done it! Oh, I can't possibly tell you how happy I was to have Lighteye run to me! " _Don't ever leave me again, darling,"_ I meowed gently. Imagine my surprise when she pushed away from me.

" _No,"_ she responded forcefully _._ " _You're not my mother! You_ never _were!"_

 _"No?"_ I asked, quite shocked at her response. " _So, you know what's best for you, after getting attacked by those rogues?! I think not! What if you'd been killed?!"_

 _"No. I don't even want to hear it. You_ are _coming back home with me."_ I growled and led Lighteye back to our home in the cave, and there we stayed for a period of time until the fateful day arrived when _he_ came back to us.

He called for the vine to be let down that would help him to the cave, only to find me standing above him when he found it.

And soon there he was, standing beside my daughter, and I myself across from them. " _You will_ never _be with her!"_ I launched myself at the tomcat, tearing a gash along his side, watching gleefully as he fell to the ground and struggled to stand once more. Lighteye had rushed to him, her eyes screwed tight from sadness.

The tomcat flung a cloud of dust and grit into the air in my direction, blinding me. Through the blur of my vision, I saw him cut Lighteye free. I had then stumbled towards them only to slip and fall to why I would soon realize to be my end.

That was the last I saw of the world I once knew.

All I hope for now is that she is happy...


	4. CotS Challenge: Our Past

**Hi, guys. This is my first challenge for a forum called Children of the Shadows.**

 **The challenge explains the backstory of your forum OC. Mine's Birchkit.**

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **My Past  
**

"If I ever knew that I would one day have to give up my kit, I would have looked for a way to change that. I loved him more than anything. He didn't deserve to live the life I've had. He deserved more than life in a cold, dark alley, more than the constant fear of starvation, more than the isolation I've experienced for seasons on end.

That was my sole burden to bear. _  
_

I remember that I night I took him away from that place. I ran for so long that I believed I'd faint with him still clasped in my jaws.

The sounds of his mewling still visit my dreams.

I almost broke down when he started that night because I _knew_ that I _could not_ give him what he wanted. The only thing that kept me going was my desire to see him safe. I'd heard that there were others within the woods and on the hills. Some cat had told me they were monsters when he had seen them. Yet, being stubborn, I didn't believe him.

In my mind, he was nothing but a fool.

In my mind, they were the only thing that could protect him.

I left that cat without so much a a backward glance in his direction as I headed into the trees.

I didn't stop at all. Not for rest or food for us both. He was only a quarter-moon old and still needed me there, for his sake. But I couldn't risk it. I had no idea what lay in wait in the shadows of that place. Yet I kept running. Finding those cats would be the only chance he had. I had to take it for him. I searched the entire area and still saw no sign of them. All I saw was a break in the tree line. The tom who had told me of the "monsters" did not say where they were. Perhaps the fool had stayed silent out of fear. I raced for it with abandon, with my kit still swinging from my jaws.

The green expanse definitely did not match my thought of it. To describe it in a word: daunting.

Off in the distance, I could only just make out a dip in the ground which lay in the shelter of a cluster of bushes. My first thought shocked even me, I'll tell you. I'd thought for a moment that some wild predator lived in that place. Sometimes I still do. But I shook it away and pushed down my fears, for him.

As I moved closer, I began to hear voices sounding from within. Closer, louder. Closer, louder. Closer and closer until I forced myself to stop.

That was when I left him, set lying on the ground and mewling in a fit of fear and need that I wished I wouldn't have experienced."

"Do you think he's all right, Fox? Wherever he is."

"Yes, Clover; I do. Now are we going to go hunting or not?" He smiled and rose to his paws, exiting the drafty barn while I stayed behind in silence, looking up fondly at the white clouds the rolled across the sky through a high gap in the wall.

"Come on, slowpoke! The prey isn't going to catch itself!" Clover called from somewhere outside.

I got to my paws and went out to meet him, a smile on my face.

 _Birch, wherever you are, know that I love you. Forever and always. . ._


End file.
